Dracula Untold Blu-ray ReviewMar 03 2015 01:15 AMDracula Untold games its thrones on Blu-ray with an edition that presents this leaden reboot of the Dracula franchise in solid high definition, with an army... Read More

The beginning vicious forays into major drug trafficking along the Texas and Mexico border set up the intensely dramatic impetus of Joel Coen and Ethan Coen’s No Country for Old Men. With a superb cast taking part in one of the most compelling and violent thrill rides in years, No Country for Old Men asserts itself on one’s psyche early on and never lets go. It’s a film that even on multiple viewings remains a chilling, riveting experience.

Out on a recreational hunt in South Texas in 1980, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles on the scene of a drug transaction gone horribly bad. Amid many dead people and dogs on the prairie, Moss finds a valise filled with cash along with a truckload of Mexican heroin. Little does he know, however, that the money case has a transmitter inside whose signal is sending psychopathic hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) straight for him. Chigurh is a emotionless killing automaton who will murder anyone in his path to the money. Naturally local law enforcement (Tommy Lee Jones, Garret Dillahunt) is on the trail of the killers of the drug runners, and with the ever-thickening pile of bodies that Chigurh is leaving behind, Ed Tom Bell (Jones) is clearly in over his head.

With this set-up, the film turns into one of the most rousingly intense cat and mouse cinematic stalkings in recent memory, made even more complex when an additional bounty hunter (Woody Harrelson) is hired on for the job. The brothers Coen keep the pace at a cracking clip, and while there’s violence aplenty dealt to one and all, its kinetic snap simply ups the anxiety levels considerably.

The violence level is nothing new for the Coens. Their debut Blood Simple was awash in blood while Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, Fargo, and The Man Who Wasn’t There were likewise steeped in gory sequences even when the brothers carefully laced even their darkest films with some black comic touches. No Country for Old Men certainly contains that ebony twinkle even as innocent people go shockingly to their undeserved deaths. The Coens’ screenplay adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s novel adds that sly wink and tilt of the head that has distinguished almost all of their best work.

The actors seem emboldened by the material and turn in terrific performances all around. Brolin in particular has never been this good, and Jones’ good ol’ boy persona rings so true in the film that it‘s easily a highlight of his career. (It should be; he’s a native of the area.) Bardem’s almost alien psycho rivets the attention with his taciturn unpredictability. Allowing people to live or die on a whim, he’s mesmerizing throughout. Harrelson has less to do than the other top stars, but does well with the material he’s handed.

The tight pacing of the film which runs two hours is still the movie’s major claim to fame. Instead of relying on the fancy camera tricks of Blood Simple (which No Country for Old Men most reminded me of in tone and texture) to awe us with their originality, the Coens concentrate on an electric energy to move things along. One is breathless with the rapid progression of the tracking and trailing and attempts to escape with the money. And, of course, eventually the money becomes secondary to merely staying alive, a rare feat that many of the principals involved in the story will sadly learn.

Video Quality

5/5

The film’s 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio has been delivered in a pristine 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Sharpness is sublime throughout the entire film with vast brown vistas of West Texas coming through to perfection. Though some might find the skin tones on the brown side, the leathery look to the men’s features seems right given the hot, summertime setting of the movie. Elsewhere, color is richly but not overly saturated, and blacks are quite solid and deep. Even in low light levels, shadow detail is excellent, and the picture doesn’t dim and become grainy during those moments. It’s really a faultless transfer. It seems to be identical to the 2008 initial release of the film on Blu-ray. The film is divided into 16 chapters.

Audio Quality

4.5/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 makes excellent use of the entire soundstage. Gunfire, of course, can come from anywhere, and other sounds that capture one’s attention (car crashes, moving traffic, winds on the prairie, rushing river waters, thunder in the distance) are intelligently placed in the proper channels. LFE is also used to good effect on occasion. It’s a very strong, very effective track and certainly the equal to the PCM 5.1 track from the film‘s original Blu-ray release.

Special Features

4.5/5

Unfortunately, all of the bonus features are presented in rather lackluster 480i. The first three featurettes are carried over from last year’s initial Blu-ray release. All of the others are new to this Collector’s Edition.

“The Making of No Country for Old Men” is a 24½ minute EPK featurette that touches on the original book and deciding the tone for the film version, the casting decisions, the location shooting, the stunt work, and the special effects.

“Working with the Coens” uses its 8 minutes to discuss the unusual situation of having two directors on a film (though they seem to speak with one voice). Adding their opinions on the depth of talent and the well-run set of the brothers are comments from several actors, the stunt coordinator, the costume designer, the special effects coordinator, the production designer, the makeup chief, and the props master.

“Diary of a Country Sheriff” splits its 6¾ minutes detailing the working of Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem on their characters in the film. It’s an interesting featurette which deserves to have been much longer.

“Josh Brolin’s Behind the Scenes” is a tongue-in-cheek look at the making of the movie with subtle potshots at his directors. It runs for 9 ¼ minutes.

A lengthy collection of sixteen video and radio interviews with various members of the No Country for Old Men production team covering the period from 10-26-2007 through 2-9-2008 are available for selection under the heading Press Timeline. Here are the contents:

The set also contains a digital copy of the film inside the case with the activation code and instructions for installation on PC and Mac devices.

The disc features previews of Lost and Doubt, among others.

The set contains a $10 rebate coupon for those who bought the original Blu-ray or DVD release of the film and who wish to purchase this new expanded edition.

In Conclusion

4.5/5 (not an average)

One of the best thrillers of the last decade, No Country for Old Men is a heady chase through some rather wicked and violent territory with edge-of-your-seat tension on full display. Its Academy Award recognition for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem) further attest its value as a must-see film. This Blu-ray disc presents it in its full glory with some interesting interviews among the cast and crew among the new features offered in this Collector‘s Edition. If the film is all you’re interested in and you have the previous Blu-ray, last year’s release will do just fine. If you’re a huge fan of the film and want a collection of video and audio interviews with the cast and crew, then the new edition is certainly heartily recommended.

I am not a huge fan of double dips esp so fast, but the amount of audio and video interviews is really nice.. You have to notice this is the most expansive special edtion version of any Coen bros film.
I take it that awful huge bar is in the bottom section of the cover art proclaiming it contains a digital copy? It seems a bit overstated on the cover. it should have been done with a little more taste.

Stop the Replacing of original Studio Opening / Closing logos! They are part of film history.

I forgot to mention that inside the case is a $10 rebate coupon for anyone who bought the original Blu-ray or DVD release and who trades up for this new release. I will go back and add this to the review.

It's too bad that the extras aren't in HD. The PS3 doesn't upconvert standard definition material on Blu-ray discs, and watching my display synchronize back and forth between 480i features and the disc menu is more than annoying. As interesting as the new extras may be, that's a deal-breaker for me.

Would've been nice to have those extras, but I'll probably just stick w/ my original BD.
BTW, have they at least made the $10 rebate easier to get w/out cutting up the cover artwork, etc?
_Man_

Just another amateur learning to paint w/ "the light of the world".

"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things..." (St. Paul)